ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: A “people’s assembly” being held in an open ground this morning just outside the devastated city of Balakot in the NWFP may help bridge the gap between official policymakers and the perceptions and demands of hundreds of thousands of people affected by last year’s earthquake.
The effort to get the two main players together to discuss the most crucial aspects of rehabilitation is being made by the Omar Asghar Foundation, which is expecting some 1,500 activists to interact with senior and provincial officials involved in the reconstruction process.
“The idea is to not only to highlight the problems but also to take the debate towards possible solutions,” says a spokesperson for the foundation.
“We want people to articulate their problems with the aim of evolving a common strategy with the authorities for workable solutions,” she says.
There is no dearth of people who refuse to recognise the remarkable contribution made by many civil society groups to the rescue, relief and rehabilitation work in the area. But it is also true that a large number of non-government organisations flocked to the affected areas just hours after the Oct 2005 earthquake struck and took part not only in the early rescue and relief operations but also in the subsequent rehabilitation process, earning the gratitude of the victims and appreciation by the Pakistani government.
President Gen Pervez Musharraf heaped praise on the NGOs at the recent annual review conference of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority and conceded that the country could not have overcome the devastation wrought by the quake without the timely assistance of the humanitarian community.
Over a hundred international NGOs rushed to the devastated areas, in some cases earlier than government rescue teams — a fact acknowledged by the president in his recently launched memoirs — and joined hands with their local counterparts as the rescue and relief operations gathered speed.
At least one local NGO, Sungi, lost its volunteer, Tariq, when a helicopter’s rear rotors hit him during a rescue operation in the Kaghan valley. While this unsung hero’s sacrifice remains largely unknown, the government has conferred the Sitara-i-Esar on several NGOs in recognition of their services.
Volunteers who took part in the relief operation recall that their first objective was to keep the survivors alive, helping them cope with the harsh Himalayan winter.
“Thanks to the winterised shelters, health facilities, hygiene information, clean water and sanitation assistance provided by the NGOs, no major outbreak of disease occurred,” says Oxfam senior media officer Shaheen Chughtai.
The NGOs initiated various education projects in the quake-hit areas and are generally credited with pushing primary school enrolment to 50 per cent in many rural areas. They also ensured that boys and girls received equal education opportunities.
Some 71 international NGOs are still working in the disaster area, helping the victims rebuild their lives. At least 31 NGOs have signed a memorandum of understanding with the government for a long-term engagement.
Appreciating the role played by the NGOs and other philanthropists, UN humanitarian coordinator Jan Vandemoortele says: “As far as the earthquake in Pakistan is concerned, it can be said that its aftermath was at least as uplifting as its occurrence was upsetting and in spite of its massive and complex nature, the relief operation was effective and successful.”
He concedes that the expertise and experience of humanitarian partners came in handy and turned out to be one of the best templates of civil-military cooperation in a post-natural disaster operation.
Mercy Corps country director Faiza Janmohamed said: “When our staff got stuck because of landslides, Pakistani military camps were there to give them help. Later the government helped us go through the difficult task of obtaining NOCs.”
